John Wesley Bryan was born in Hopkins Co., Kentucky in 1813. In 1830, he married Mary Jane McCarty somewhere in Alabama. The parents or siblings of JWB are unknown. Mary Jane's father was Jacob McCarty, Jr. of Marengo Co., AL.
Jacob McCarty, Jr. was the son of Jacob McCarty, Sr. and Catherine (?) MCarty. Jacob, Jr. had five children including, William H. McCarty, Daniel W. McCarty, Hayword S. McCarthy, Isabella McCarthy and Mary Jane McCarthy.
The last name, Bryan, for this family was spelled in the census as Bryon in 1850, Bryant in 1860 and 1870, and Bryan in 1880 and thereafter.
John Wesley Bryan was a busy man. He fathered 13 children. He and Mary Jane McCarty had four children while in Al. They moved to MS in 1849 or 1850 and had four more children. Mary Jane McCarty died sometime after her last child was born in 1856 and the 1860 census. John Wesley's new wife, Irena M.J., is shown in the 1860 census. The census indicates they were married during the census year.
JWB and Irena had five children in MS, the last of which was born in 1872. Sometime around 1876, John Wesley and Irena moved to Brown Co., Texas. They were in the 1880 census in the precinct of Blanket, TX. John Wesley is listed as being disabled in this census. It shows he had neuralgia. Of course, the bane of banes, the burning of the 1890 census, hurts this genealogy. Then, in 1900, John Wesley Bryan is not in the census.
Irena M.J. Bryan is in the 1900 census. She is living with her daughter, Adele Chancellor, in Comanche, TX. Adele and husband Frank are shown with two children, Carla and Carl. Frank is a newspaper man in Comanche. In 1920, Irena is not in the census or living with her daughter. Adele and Frank are in the census, living in Fort Worth. Frank is editor of a newspaper and son Carl is an apprentice.
This ends the saga of John Wesley Bryan, to the current point of knowledge. He left a wealth of descendents as shown below.
- Franklin Y. Bryan (Born 1840) - Married Selta Ann Pearce
- Mary Magdaline Bryan (Born 1842) - Married Frank R. Young
- Daniel Celies Bryan (1849-1920) - Married (1) Tennesee Spires and (2) Mary Elvira Hogue
- John Wesley Bryan, Jr. (1852-1923)
- Martha Jane Bryan (1854-1931) - Married Little Benonie Thompson
- William H. Bryan (Born 1856)
- Susan Bryan (Born 1861)
- L.B. Bryan (Born 1862)
- Richard Bryan (Born 1863)
- Sarah A. Bryan (Born 1866)
- Adele Bryan (1869-1900+) - Married Frank Chancellor
- R.G. Bryan (Born 1872)